Dog days of summer

Cowtown is also Dogtown apparently, as Calgary has some of the best places to take your pooches for a walk. Whether off-leash or on, Calgary offers a ton of opportunities to let the dogs out.

According to the City of Calgary, there are more than 150 off-leash areas for doggies to run around in – the most among all major North American cities. That’s just perfect for the reported 91,568 licensed dogs in the city.

Popular are off-leash parks like Edworthy Park in the southwest, the Jim Davidson Bark & Play in Auburn Bay in the southeast, Glenbrook Off-leash park in the southwest, and Sue Higgins Park formerly Southland Park also in the southeast.

There are simple etiquette rules to follow when using these off-leash areas though, and overly reactive pooches are encouraged to use on-leash areas instead. And Calgary has plenty of those as well. Fish Creek Park in the south is among them, so is Nose Hill Park in the northwest.

Pet-friendly multi-family developments like University District and Westman Village have their own little slice of doggie heaven. The former is largely open to the public, while the latter is for residents only.

University District (U/D) has two urban off-leash “pooch playgrounds” and even hosts an annual dog-centric event called “Tails and Treasures.” Both parks are linked by U/D’s robust pathway system which spans over 12 kilometres.

Westman Village, which still has a few opportunities to own a new condo suite (including a penthouse and a few walkouts), has a 1,300 square-foot dog park with separate sections for small and large dogs. It comes with artificial turf, a drinking station and even a fire hydrant! “Owners love that they don’t have to go far to let their dogs have some exercise,” says Jayman BUILT Marketing Manager, Vanessa Sambrooke.

Land developers are also getting into the act by offering not just walking trails but dedicated dog parks, like Wolf Willow by the Bow River and Southpoint in Airdrie. Qualico Communities’ developments are all dog-friendly with kilometres of walking trails. We asked a couple of Qualico employees where they take their furry friends to enjoy the sunny days.

“If I am taking my dog, Ozzy, off-leash I like Southwood Park because it is big and there is lots of space for the dogs to run around, it is also not too busy,” says Qualico Communities’ Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Nina Wulder.

“On hot days though like this week I will take my dog to one of the parks by the river like Sandy Beach or Riverside so that he goes in the water,” she adds.

Max Conrad, Marketing Manager at StreetSide Developments – Qualico’s multi-family arm – isn’t a big fan of off-leash parks and would rather take his dogs, Penny and Arthur, to Fish Creek Park for leisurely, trouble-free walks. “It’s good to live in a place that offers as much recreational opportunities to people as much as pooches,” Conrad says.

Check out the list of off-leash areas at Calgary.ca, calgarycanine.com also has some tips on where best to take you furry friends and rules to observe while there.